The latest directorial effort (see also, "Trees Lounge") from actor Steve Buscemi, "Lonesome Jim" is a small town tale (yes, there's been plenty of them, but this is a worthwhile picture), which manages to bring back Liv Tyler - a charming actress who's seen not often enough in movies. As the film opens, Jim (Casey Affleck) is returning home to his small Indiana town after a failed writing attempt in New York City.

The sleepy hometown doesn't offer much. Jim has been away from his parents (played by the great Mary Kay Place and Seymour Cassel) for so long that they seem as if they're old friends instead of still being in the parental role. His other brother, Tim (Kevin Corrigan), has never left and spends part of his time coaching a kids' basketball team that doesn't exactly show much skills on the court. His parents have him work at their business, where he finds out his uncle (Mark Boone Junior) is using the company to sell drugs.

Sure enough, Jim meets a single mother and nurse, Anika (Liv Tyler), and it's not long before the two are starting to fall for one another. While this certainly isn't a movie that hasn't been done before, it's thanks to fine performances from Affleck and Tyler that the movie rises a bit above the rest of its kind. Affleck walks the line well with his performance, never becoming as much of a downer as the character could be. Tyler provides a warm, bright performance and has a nice, low-key chemistry with Affleck. Supporting efforts are also solid, as well - Corrigan (who was great in "Grounded For Life") provides the occasional comedic relief.

Done on a microbudget, the picture makes good use of the small town its set in, but (and maybe it's just this DVD presentation), the digital video cinematography is inconsistent - while some scenes look perfectly fine, others look distractingly noisy. Overall, this is an enjoyable dramedy that boasts fine performances.